Lecture 4

Earth science problems to solve with a spreadsheet

I have chosen a few earth science problems for you to explore using a spreadsheet. They are bit trickier than they may seem at first, but they represent what I consider to be everyday kinds of work that I do with a spreadsheet. The problems are presented as word problems mostly and your challenge is to implement them in Excel. Make sure you understand the earth science problem first on paper before you touch the computer!

Rotation calculator
This exercise has you build a little calculator. It requires a tidy spreadsheet and chart layout and the use of variables ("names").

Plotting a tape and compass transect
This exercise has you map out the transect that two students took for a stratigraphic profile. It uses data measured with a tape and compass. It requires a tidy spreadsheet and chart layout and the use of variables ("names").

These problems will be due on September 11, 2015 by 5 pm posted as a page with links to the Excel files on your website. The assignments should be turned in as well formatted and labeled spreadsheets as links from your assignments page web site. Remember that you can link to a file like a spreadsheet using the standard HTML link tag: